4/10/99 at Arcadia CA High School
32nd Arcadia Invitational
California preps vs. the nation's best
History of the Meet
by Doug Speck
Arcadia High School Invitational Track & Field Meet
“The Best in Prep Track & Field”
Contact: Doug Speck/Doug Smith - Meet Directors
Arcadia Invitational - 180 Campus Drive - Arcadia, CA 91007 -
[email protected] - (626) 445-7507
ARCADIA INVITATIONAL TRACK & FIELD MEET
In its thirty years of existence, the Arcadia Invitational Track and Field Meet for high school Boys and Girls has grown from a small, local
San Gabriel Valley competition to the most inclusive in-season gathering of prep track and field talent from California and across the entire
United States. During its first thirty-one years the Arcadia Invitational has developed into a first class national “show-down” as the top athletes from across
the nation come West to vie for honors.
The 1998 Thirty-First annual competition was another great one at Arcadia. Six events featured the
the top high school mark in the nation up to that point in the outdoor season. Leading the performances were Angela Williams (Chino, Ca),
later the National High School Athlete of the Year in the sport, who took the 100 Meters in 11.32 (National Leader and Meet Record breaking
World Track Athlete of the Year Marion Jones’ old Meet Record here as a high-schooler at 11.38). Angela also won the 200 meters at 23.48.
Ninth Grader Monique Henderson (Morse, San Diego) won the 400 meters in 52.93, also the best high school time of the year in her event.
Boys’ winners with nation leading efforts were Miguel Fletcher (Alemany, Mission Hills), who took the 200 meters in 20.94, Anthony
Francisco (Sunnyside, Tucson, Az) in the 3200 meters at 9:05.58, Van Mounts (Bakersfield, Ca) the Shot Put at 69-03.5, and Reedus
Thurmond (Serra, Gardena), who won the Discus in 209-0. Mounts and Thurmonds’ efforts were the top Boys’ High School efforts in the
entire nation for the year in their events! The Arcadia Meet has been featured four times in the last seven years on ESPN’s “Scholastic
Sports America” Show. The 1995 coverage was eighteen minutes on the SSA (Scholastic Sports America) show—a copy is available for
preview.
The 1989 Meet was featured on the “ClF Sports Beat” television show, with an excerpt from the 1991 competition shown on “ABC’s
Wide World of Sports” The 1999 competition is scheduled for full coverage by Fox Sports West as a part of its Spring Prep sports schedule.
NATIONAL RECORDS
The Meet has featured nine National Interscholastic Records in the last twenty years with those marks listed below:
Girls 880 Yard Run - Linda Goen (North Bakersfield, California) 2:10.4 - 1977.
Girls 400 Meter Run - Valerie Brisco (Locke, Los Angeles, California) 53.77 - 1978.
Girls Distance Medley -Fountain Valley HS, California Relay Beth Margerum, Sharon Hatfield, Bonnie McGlinchey, Beth Villanueva) 12:04.4 -
1980.
Girls Shot Put - Natalie Kaiaawahia (Fullerton, California) 5O’10” - 1981.
Girls 400 Meter Run - Denean Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada
Hills, California) 52.90 - 1982.
Boys Discus - Kamy Keshmiri (Reno, Nevada) 224’3” - 1987.
Girls 200 Meters - Marion Jones (Rio Mesa,
Oxnard, Ca) 22.87 - 1991.
Girls Discus - Suzy Powell (Downey, Modesto, Ca) 178-7 1994 -
Girls Discus - Seilala Sua (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Ft. Lauderdale, Fl) 180- 02.
OLYMPIANS
Meet graduates have been well represented on the last three United States Olympic squads, as the 1984 National team featured fourteen
athletes who had competed in the Arcadia competition with the 1988 U.S. squad counting eighteen athletes, and the 1992 U.S. Olympic
team made up of fifteen Arcadia Invitational alums. The 1996 Atlanta Olympic competition marked a reunion of thirteen athletes who had competed in the Arcadia Invitational as
high-schoolers.
Those athletes are listed below:
1984 Olympic Team Members who participated in the Arcadia Invitational as High School athletes:
Jodi Anderson (Washington HS, Los Angeles) - Heptathlon,
Janette Bolden (Centennial HS, Compton) 100 Meters,
Alice Brown (Muir HS, Pasadena) - 100 Meters, 400 Meter Relay,
Ron Brown (Baldwin Park HS) - 400 Meter Relay,
Valerie Brisco (Locke HS, Los Angeles) - 200 Meters, 400 Meters, 400 Meter Relay, 1600 Meter Relay,
Ruth CaIdwell (Azusa HS) - 800 Meters, 1500 Meters
Paul Cummings (Righetti HS, Santa Maria)- 10,000 Meters,
Laura DeSnoo (Washington HS, Fremont) - Discus,
Danny Harris (Perris HS) - 400 Meter Hurdles,
Tom Hintnaus (Aviation HS, Manhattan Beach)- Pole Vault,
Sherri Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada Hills) - 1600
Meter Relay,
Denean Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada Hills) - 1600 Meter Relay,
Dave Laut (Santa Clara HS, Oxnard)-Shot Put,
Mike Tully (Millikan HS, Long Beach) - Pole Vault.
1988 Olympic Team Members who participated in the Arcadia Invitational as High School
athletes:
Danny Everett (Fairfax HS, Los Angeles) - 400 Meters, 1600 Meter Relay,
Steve Lewis (American HS, Fremont) - 400 Meters, 1600 Meter Relay,
Johnny Gray (Crenshaw HS, Los Angeles) - 800 Meters,
Jeff Atkinson (Mira Costa HS, Manhattan Beach) -1500 Meters,
Tonie Campbell (Banning HS, Wilmington) - 110 Meter High, Hurdles,
Mike Marsh (Hawthorne HS) - 400 Meter Relay,
Brian Stanton (Inglewood HS) - High Jump,
Mike Powell (Edgewood HS, West Covina) - Long Jump,
Jim Doehring (San Clemente HS) - Shot Put,
Pam Marshall (Jordan HS, Long Beach) - 200 Meters,
Valerie Brisco (Locke HS, Los Angeles) - 400 Meters 1600 Meter Relay,
Denean Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada Hills) - 400 Meters, 1600 Meter Relay, Gail Devers (Sweetwater HS, National City) -100 Meter Hurdles, 400 Meter Relay,
Alice Brown (Muir HS, Pasadena) - 400 Meter Relay, -
Sherri Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada Hills) - 1600 Meter Relay,
Bonnie Dasse (Costa Mesa HS) - Shot Put,
Ramona Pagel (Schurr HS, Montebello) - Shot Put, Discus,
Donna Mayhew (Crescenta Valley HS, La Crescenta) - Javelin
1992 Olympic Team Members who participated in the Arcadia Invitational as High School athletes:
Michael Marsh (Hawthorne HS, Ca) - 200 Meters, 400 Meter Relay,
Michael Bates (Amphitheater HS, Tucson, Az) - 200 Meters, -
Quincy Watts (Taft HS, Woodland Hills)- 400 Meters, 1600 Meter Relay,
Steve Lewis (American HS, Fremont, Ca) - 400 Meters, 1600 Meter Relay,
Danny Everett (Fairfax HS, L.A. ,Ca) - 400 Meters.
Johnny Gray (Crenshaw HS, L.A., Ca) - 800 Meters,
Mike Powell (Edgewood HS, West Covina, Ca) - Long Jump,
Jim Doehring (San Clemente HS, Ca) - Shot Put,
Kamy Keshmiri (Reno, NV) - Discus,
Gail Devers (Sweetwater HS, National - 100 Meters, 100 Meter Hurdles,
Janeene Vickers (Pomona HS, Ca) - 400 Meter Hurdles,
Sue McNeal (Rembao) (Carlsbad HS, Ca) - High Jump,
Ramona Pagel (Schurr HS, Montebello, Ca) - Shot Put,
Bonnie Dasse (Costa Mesa HS, Ca) - Shot Put,
Donna Mayhew (Crescenta Valley HS, La Crescenta) - Javelin
1996 Olympic Team Members who participated in the Arcadia Invitational as High School Athletes:
Mike Marsh (Hawthorne HS, Ca) 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meter relay.
Johnny Gray (Crenshaw HS, L.A.) 800 meters.
Marc Davis (San Diego HS, Ca) - 3000 Meter Steeplechase.
Mark Crear (Rowland HS, Rowland Heights) 110 Meter High Hurdles.
Mike Powell (Edgewood HS, West Covina, Ca) Long Jump.
Gail Devers (Sweetwater HS, National City, Ca) 100 Meters, 100 Meter Hurdles.
Inger Miller (Muir HS, Pasadena, Ca) 200 Meters, 400 Meter Relay.
Linette Wilson (Muir HS, Pasadena, Ca) 1600 Meter Relay.
Amy Acuff (Calallen HS, Corpus Christi, Tx) High Jump.
Ramona Pagel (Schurr HS, Montebello, Ca) Shot Put.
Suzy Powell (Downey HS, Modesto, Ca) Discus.
Kelly Blair (Prosser HS, Wa) Heptathion.
Sharon Hanson (Buena HS, Ventura, Ca) -Heptathlon.
ARCADIA INVITATIONAL HALL OF FAME
In the Winter of 1992-3 it was felt that after twenty-six years it was time to form a “Hall of Fame” in the different events in the Arcadia
Invitational to honor the great athletes who had come through the meet in the previous quarter-century.
What follows are the selections of Southern California Prep Sports Writers for the entrants into the:
“ARCADIA INVITATIONAL HALL OF FAME.”
Boys:
100 Meters - Ron Brown (Baldwin Park HS)
200 Meters - Quincy Watts (Taft HS, Woodland Hills) 400 Meters - Steve Lewis (American HS, Fremont), Danny Everett (Fairfax, L.A.)
800 Meters - Johnny Gray (Crenshaw HS, L.A.)
1600 Meters - Roman Gomez (Belmont HS, L.A.)
3200 Meters - Eric Hulst (Laguna Beach HS)
110mHH- Michael Bates (Amphitheater HS, Tucson, Az,), Tonie Campbell (Banning,Wlmington, Ca)
300m lH Danny Harris (Perris HS)
High Jump - Lee Balkin (Glendale HS)
Long Jump - Mike Powell (Edgewood HS, West Covina) and Dion Bentley (Penn Hills HS, Pittsburgh,Pa)
Triple Jump - Dokie Williams (Oceanside HS)
Shot Put - Brent Noon (Fallbrook HS)
Discus - Kamy Keshmiri (Reno HS, Nv)
Coaches: Kye Courtney (Hawthorne) & Walter Opp (Muir, Pasadena)
Girls:
100 Meters - Valerie Brisco (Locke HS, LA.)/Alice Brown (Muir, Pasadena, Ca)/ Jeanette Bolden (Centennial, Compton)/Pam Marshall
(Jordan. Long Beach) 200 Meters - Angela Burnham (Rio Mesa HS, Oxnard)
400 Meters - Denean Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada Hills) 800 Meters - Linda Goen (North HS, Bakersfield)/Ruth Wysocki (Azusa, Ca)
1600 Meters - Polly Plumer (University HS, Irvine)
3200 Meters - Kirsten O’Hara (Palos Verdes HS)
100m LH - Choo Choo Knighten (Locke HS, LA.)
300m LH - Gayle Kellon (Walnut HS)
High Jump - Ileana Carrasco (Anaheim)
Long Jump - Gwen Loud (Westchester) and Jodi Anderson (Washington HS, L.A.)
Shot Put - Natalie Kaaiawahia (Fullerton HS)
Discus - Ramona Page (Schurr HS, Montebello)
Coach - Jim Brownfield (Muir, Pasadena) & Willie White (Berkeley)
FURTHER MEET INFORMATION:
The Arcadia Invitational was the first Southern California Prep Invitational to be held in the evening, first to include events for females, was the
first major meet to switch to the metric distances used world-wide, and was among the first to use Accutrack electronic timing for accuracy in
the events. The Meet is also the only Invitational to include a post-meet dinner for competitors and coaches.
The reputation of the Meet has been enhanced by the manner in which it has been run. An Invitational Committee and support groups of Boosters, parents, and students
have given the Invitational a reputation as the best run Track and Field Meet in California. Since 1987 the Arcadia Invitational has been run on
the High School Stadium’s nine lane “All-Weather” Track purchased by the Invitational Committee, Santa Anita Spring Classic 5-10K
Committee, School Boosters Club, and individual boosters from the community.
